Starting with 1.02b, a new option is there in the Options window, System Panel.

This setting allows the game to run in a safer mode, if the video card has trouble unloading/reloading rapidly big textures (more than 1024 pixels wide). For these video cards, it can result in a hard crash (blue screen eg), when the demand for new textures is issued at the end of hosting (for example when the map switch to winter). The bug can also theorically happen anytime a big region is drawn (but only on some video cards, ATI Radeon mostly).

The settings are: Small Textures, Medium Textures, Large Textures, Very Large Textures (default). For the vast majority of players, the default setting is perfectly fine. For now we have only 0.5% of hardware problems which are not coming from an out of date video driver (annoying for the people who get it though).

Running in a safer mode will disable the biggest regions images (oceans and such).

Important: You have to restart the computer to have the change takes effect.

Note: If you get video crashes, it is advised to switch first to an Omega Driver (see corresponding thread), they do wonders.

Hofstadter's Law: "It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's law."